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Mamrie Hart
9.3
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YouTube Channel
Join me as I make original cocktails and a fool of myself every week. These libations are in honor...
The Kissing Booth
7.0
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Book
Meet Elle Evans: pretty, popular - and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile - and...
Kimmic (814 KP) rated The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women in Books
Sep 3, 2021
Wow. This book completely blew my mind. I knew that the history of the Radium girls was bad, but this book really opened my eyes to the horror that these women went through. I am glad that their voices were finally heard although it's a shame that it took so long due to the greed of the industry. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more on the subject.
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4
7.3
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TV Show
Arriving on an unknown planet, The Doctor and his companions find themselves caught up in a...
Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated The Dark Knight (2008) in Movies
Sep 23, 2021
Heath ledger (2 more)
Cristain bale
Aaron eckhart
In my opinion the best of the Nolan batman movies it has everything and more and probably heath ledgers best performance in a movie worthy of the Oscar he won the rest of the cast ain't bad either the action scenes the bank heist at the beginning any many other scenes are just brilliant. I could go on why I love this movie but it would take too long
Doctor who the evil of the daleks
Book
After leaving the wheel the doctor and Jamie discover they have a stoway on board the tardis one of...
The Chronicles: Wasteland
Book
Life underground seems like paradise compared to what’s left above the surface. However, nobody...
science fiction dystopian
Lee (2222 KP) rated A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) in Movies
Nov 5, 2017
A disappointing sequel
I always start my reviews of movie comedies by complaining how most of them just aren't that funny. Usually having a raucous trailer which combines every single one of the movies mildly funny moments into two or three minutes of high energy in an attempt to con you into buying a ticket. And I usually make a comparison to Bad Moms when I'm complaining about them too, probably the funniest comedy I've seen in a couple of years now. My enjoyment of Bad Moms was probably helped by the fact that I was watching it while say next to a busy, overworked mom in the shape of my wife, but it was still very enjoyable all the same. A lot of other people must have thought so too, as they managed to quickly rush out this inferior sequel in order to cash in.
Bad Moms Christmas kicks off on Christmas day, with Amy (Mila Kunis) sitting on the stairs of her home, Christmas tree toppled over, and other Christmas mess all around her. She looks beat, and a real life camel calmly walks past her. This must have been some big crazy party that we're going to rewind and watch unfold in full horrific detail. Spoiler: we do get to see the party, and it's definitely not crazy.
We do go back a few days though and the movie starts counting down each day in the run up to Christmas. All the original cast are back, but this time, in an attempt to double up on the number of Bad Moms (it's a sequel after all), all the moms of our three leads show up to make their lives that much worse. With another upcoming sequel, Daddys Home 2, set to do exactly the same thing, this must just be the thing these days.
With the older moms looking to dictate and ruin the holiday season, their daughters vow to take back Christmas. Unfortunately though, this just involves a bit of drunken bad behaviour in a shopping mall and some grinding/gyrating around an elderly Santa Claus. All a bit disappointing really.
While it's heart is in the right place and everyone is friends again by the time the end of the movie and Christmas day dinner rolls round, overall this is a much less enjoyable movie than the first. While there are some funny moments, the laugh rate is way, way down on the last movie too and a rethink of further 'holiday moms' planned movies is seriously needed.
Bad Moms Christmas kicks off on Christmas day, with Amy (Mila Kunis) sitting on the stairs of her home, Christmas tree toppled over, and other Christmas mess all around her. She looks beat, and a real life camel calmly walks past her. This must have been some big crazy party that we're going to rewind and watch unfold in full horrific detail. Spoiler: we do get to see the party, and it's definitely not crazy.
We do go back a few days though and the movie starts counting down each day in the run up to Christmas. All the original cast are back, but this time, in an attempt to double up on the number of Bad Moms (it's a sequel after all), all the moms of our three leads show up to make their lives that much worse. With another upcoming sequel, Daddys Home 2, set to do exactly the same thing, this must just be the thing these days.
With the older moms looking to dictate and ruin the holiday season, their daughters vow to take back Christmas. Unfortunately though, this just involves a bit of drunken bad behaviour in a shopping mall and some grinding/gyrating around an elderly Santa Claus. All a bit disappointing really.
While it's heart is in the right place and everyone is friends again by the time the end of the movie and Christmas day dinner rolls round, overall this is a much less enjoyable movie than the first. While there are some funny moments, the laugh rate is way, way down on the last movie too and a rethink of further 'holiday moms' planned movies is seriously needed.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Skyscraper (2018) in Movies
Jul 19, 2018
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (1 more)
House of Mirrors fight scene
The Rock saves it from mediocrity
I have come to respect Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a charismatic actor that gives his all in whatever motion picture he is in. He can make bad films seem fun (like the recent RAMPAGE) or elevate good action films to great action films (I'm looking at you FAST & FURIOUS franchise). So, I was was open to checking out the "Die Hard meets Towering Inferno" summer popcorn flick SKYSCRAPER for I was expecting a "B" movie with some outrageous stunts, common-sense defying decision making and a plot by a bad guy that is way too complex all wrapped around Johnson's charisma.
And...that's pretty much what I got.
Skyscraper tells the story of a...ahem...Skyscraper. The "tallest building ever" (are there any other kind in these kinds of films?). The Rock plays a Security consultant who has been brought in to assess the safety and security systems of this building and when he says "I've been all over these systems and know them like the back of my hand", you know that knowledge will come in handy - and it does when the bad guys come to get the McGuffin,
What is a McGuffin you ask? That is Alfred Hitchock's term for the thing that is propelling the plot forward. It doesn't really matter what the McGuffin is, it just needs to be something that one person has and other people are willing to lie cheat, scheme and kill for. In this case it is a flashdrive with sensitive information on it, but it could easily have been "the codes" to some secret device, "tech" that makes the world better (or can generate large sums of money, a treasure of cash or jewels or the latest innovation in dolphin training...you get the idea.
So...the bad guys are after the McGuffin, the Rock is after the bad guys because accidentally trapped in the burning high rise (did I mention that the bad guys started the high rise on fire?) is the Rock's family. This gives our hero "stakes" in this game, so he'll do ANYTHING to save his family.
All pretty predictable, but with the Rock's charm and charisma, it doesn't seem quite so silly. Neve Campbell is back on-screen (where has she been?) as his wife, who (of course) is a kick-ass former Navy Doctor (you know those skills are gonna come in handy). The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable, except, perhaps, Hannah Quinlavan as the main bad guy's henchmen who is indestructible (until, of course, she isn't).
The big disappointment for me in this film is the unfulfilled promise of a few of the premises set up by Writer and Director Rawson Marshall Thurber (CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE). For example, The Rock's character suffers a trauma in the pre-opening credits scene, losing the lower half of a leg (I'm not spoiling anything here, it is in the previews). Exploring his PTSD or the limitations of his handicap would have been interesting, but aside for a couple of grunts...nothing. Another interesting premise is the inside of the building has "it's own eco-system" and you see a lavish forest somewhere in between floors 150-175 (did I mention that this is a really tall building) but they don't really use this set and set it on fire quickly. Finally, they do set up a "house of mirrors" early on that is paid off rather nicely in the end, the highlight in the film for me.
All-in-all a rather mediocre afternoon at the movies. The promise and execution of the premise were not "so bad it's good" nor were they "good" they were just..."fair"...fortunately, you had the Rock to save the day - and the film - yet again.
Letter Grade: B- (I'm probably being generous, but I really liked The Rock in this)
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
And...that's pretty much what I got.
Skyscraper tells the story of a...ahem...Skyscraper. The "tallest building ever" (are there any other kind in these kinds of films?). The Rock plays a Security consultant who has been brought in to assess the safety and security systems of this building and when he says "I've been all over these systems and know them like the back of my hand", you know that knowledge will come in handy - and it does when the bad guys come to get the McGuffin,
What is a McGuffin you ask? That is Alfred Hitchock's term for the thing that is propelling the plot forward. It doesn't really matter what the McGuffin is, it just needs to be something that one person has and other people are willing to lie cheat, scheme and kill for. In this case it is a flashdrive with sensitive information on it, but it could easily have been "the codes" to some secret device, "tech" that makes the world better (or can generate large sums of money, a treasure of cash or jewels or the latest innovation in dolphin training...you get the idea.
So...the bad guys are after the McGuffin, the Rock is after the bad guys because accidentally trapped in the burning high rise (did I mention that the bad guys started the high rise on fire?) is the Rock's family. This gives our hero "stakes" in this game, so he'll do ANYTHING to save his family.
All pretty predictable, but with the Rock's charm and charisma, it doesn't seem quite so silly. Neve Campbell is back on-screen (where has she been?) as his wife, who (of course) is a kick-ass former Navy Doctor (you know those skills are gonna come in handy). The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable, except, perhaps, Hannah Quinlavan as the main bad guy's henchmen who is indestructible (until, of course, she isn't).
The big disappointment for me in this film is the unfulfilled promise of a few of the premises set up by Writer and Director Rawson Marshall Thurber (CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE). For example, The Rock's character suffers a trauma in the pre-opening credits scene, losing the lower half of a leg (I'm not spoiling anything here, it is in the previews). Exploring his PTSD or the limitations of his handicap would have been interesting, but aside for a couple of grunts...nothing. Another interesting premise is the inside of the building has "it's own eco-system" and you see a lavish forest somewhere in between floors 150-175 (did I mention that this is a really tall building) but they don't really use this set and set it on fire quickly. Finally, they do set up a "house of mirrors" early on that is paid off rather nicely in the end, the highlight in the film for me.
All-in-all a rather mediocre afternoon at the movies. The promise and execution of the premise were not "so bad it's good" nor were they "good" they were just..."fair"...fortunately, you had the Rock to save the day - and the film - yet again.
Letter Grade: B- (I'm probably being generous, but I really liked The Rock in this)
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Midway (2019) in Movies
Aug 10, 2020
So bad...it's bad
There are times when you watch a film and you can just hear the conference room discussion that happened back at the studio before getting it green-lit...
Studio Flunky: "Remember the 1970's WWII flick MIDWAY starring Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Charles Coborn, Richard Mitchum and an All Star cast"?
Studio Head: "Yeah...I loved that flick..."
Studio Flunky: "We have a fairly weak script here that pretty much rips that off, but we have the Director of Independence Day ready to Direct, so we'd just need some strong actors and top notch special effects to pull it off".
Studio Head: " I love it. Just one thing..."
Studio Flunky: "What's that?"
Studio Head: "Cut the budget to about 1/10th of what you're asking for."
And that's the issue with the Roland Emrich 2019 version of MIDWAY...what the film lacks in script quality, it makes up with by casting weak actors and crossing them with cheap special effects.
Yeah...it doesn't work very well. No wonder it came and went pretty quickly in the theaters.
Patrick Wilson is the most successful in this film in his role as Intelligence Officer Edwin Layton who figures out what the Japanese are up to in the early days of World War II. He has some fun scenes with Brennan Brown as one of this "codebreakers" and his interactions with Woody Harrelson as Admiral Nimitz are fun.
And...that's about it for the acting and interesting things in this film. Harrelson is wasted in his role (he clearly owed someone a favor to appear in what should be considered and extended cameo). Dennis Quaid overacts (as he is want to do) as "Bull" Halsey. Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas and Luke Evans bring no charisma to roles that were written with the hopes that an actor would bring charisma to them. They all bring "one dimension" and play the heck out of that singular character trait...but interesting characters that does not build.
And then there is the case of Ed Skrein (in the Charlton Heston role) as the "rogue fighter pilot, bucking the system, but learning through the course of this film that he would be more effective bringing his unique insights into the system than buck it". Skrein is my poster child for "warning...bad movie ahead." He has, in my opinion, "anti-charisma". He sucks a movie into his void and we, the audience, are stuck there with him. Of course, we spend most of the film with him...much to my chagrin.
At least, you say, today's special effects would rescue this film.
Nope...it looked like someone's kid slapped something together on his MAC. The depth of the EFX are slim, the color schemes don't seem to match and the actors didn't look at all like they were in the scene with the effects.
Nothing really works in this film. Avoid it at all costs. I can't even give you the "it's so bad it's good" line on this one.
It's so bad, it's bad.
Letter Grade "D"
2 Stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
Studio Flunky: "Remember the 1970's WWII flick MIDWAY starring Henry Fonda, Charlton Heston, Charles Coborn, Richard Mitchum and an All Star cast"?
Studio Head: "Yeah...I loved that flick..."
Studio Flunky: "We have a fairly weak script here that pretty much rips that off, but we have the Director of Independence Day ready to Direct, so we'd just need some strong actors and top notch special effects to pull it off".
Studio Head: " I love it. Just one thing..."
Studio Flunky: "What's that?"
Studio Head: "Cut the budget to about 1/10th of what you're asking for."
And that's the issue with the Roland Emrich 2019 version of MIDWAY...what the film lacks in script quality, it makes up with by casting weak actors and crossing them with cheap special effects.
Yeah...it doesn't work very well. No wonder it came and went pretty quickly in the theaters.
Patrick Wilson is the most successful in this film in his role as Intelligence Officer Edwin Layton who figures out what the Japanese are up to in the early days of World War II. He has some fun scenes with Brennan Brown as one of this "codebreakers" and his interactions with Woody Harrelson as Admiral Nimitz are fun.
And...that's about it for the acting and interesting things in this film. Harrelson is wasted in his role (he clearly owed someone a favor to appear in what should be considered and extended cameo). Dennis Quaid overacts (as he is want to do) as "Bull" Halsey. Mandy Moore, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas and Luke Evans bring no charisma to roles that were written with the hopes that an actor would bring charisma to them. They all bring "one dimension" and play the heck out of that singular character trait...but interesting characters that does not build.
And then there is the case of Ed Skrein (in the Charlton Heston role) as the "rogue fighter pilot, bucking the system, but learning through the course of this film that he would be more effective bringing his unique insights into the system than buck it". Skrein is my poster child for "warning...bad movie ahead." He has, in my opinion, "anti-charisma". He sucks a movie into his void and we, the audience, are stuck there with him. Of course, we spend most of the film with him...much to my chagrin.
At least, you say, today's special effects would rescue this film.
Nope...it looked like someone's kid slapped something together on his MAC. The depth of the EFX are slim, the color schemes don't seem to match and the actors didn't look at all like they were in the scene with the effects.
Nothing really works in this film. Avoid it at all costs. I can't even give you the "it's so bad it's good" line on this one.
It's so bad, it's bad.
Letter Grade "D"
2 Stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)